The government of the United Kingdom has
denied a visa to Cuban antiterrorist fighter Rene Gonzalez.
He was to be the main witness in a commission of inquiry
organised by the Campaign of Solidarity with Cuba into the
vexing case of the ‘Cuban Five’ being held this week in
London.Its International Committee for the Release of
the Five says in a press release that on Monday, March 3,
some few hours before Gonzalez was to catch his flight from
Havana to London, he was denied a visa request to travel to
the United Kingdom for the event which was being held at the
offices of the London Law Society.

The UK Immigration
office justified the refusal with its 320 (2b) of the
Immigration Law, which stipulates that the entry to the
country of a person who was condemned to more than four
years of prison is forbidden.

Although it may be granted
in exceptional circumstances, the British government warned
that Gonzalez' participation in the enquiry was not
considered a sufficient reason to justify his visa.

Rob
Miller, director of the Campaign of Solidarity with Cuba —
one of the organizers of the commission — said they were
‘deeply disappointed and surprised by the decision to deny
a visa to Rene Gonzalez.’

Miller points out that the
case of ‘The Five’ was highly politicized, so such a
response could only be interpreted as a political
decision.

‘We have received legal advice and we will be
appealing the decision, including an Urgent Judicial Review
if necessary,’ he said.

Thousands of people in the
United Kingdom, including hundreds of legislators, have
campaigned for the release and justice for the Five for more
than 10 years and hoped to welcome Gonzalez, said
Miller.

Rene Gonzalez was the first of ‘The Five’ to
be able to return to Cuba, last year, after completing his
prison sentence at a US jail in October 2011, completing a
period of supervised release and resigning his US
citizenship.

Gonzalez was detained on September 12, 1998
in Miami, along with Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino,
Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez, the latter being the
second released from prison with remission for good conduct
and now back in Cuba.

At least 20 witnesses and
commissioners, including the US legal team, relatives of
victims of terrorism against Cuba, and experts in
international law, among others, are arriving in London to
attend the event.

Raul Castro asks council
ministers for economic analysis

Cuban President
Raul Castro has called for a critical and constructive
analysis and update of the process implementing the
country's economic model.‘We are making progress and
we will continue to do so, but it’s not fast enough’, he
emphasised at a recent meeting of the Council of
Ministers.

‘What we are doing is not perfect, we know we
lack experience in some areas and commit errors; that is why
every issue has to be looked at carefully.

‘We have been
accustomed to accept instructions from above. And that must
change. Administrators from Sandino to Maisi must express
opinions in the appropriate place, at the right time and in
the correct manner’ he said.

At the meeting, the Council
of Ministers approved policies to improve geological
research and the development of the National Cadastre, as
well as a new experimental group of non-agricultural
cooperatives.

The deputy head of the Permanent Commission
for Implementation and Development, Leonardo Andollo, added
that the policy submitted to the Council of Ministers is
mainly aimed at generating and promoting geological
knowledge of Cuba.

All was aimed at increasing knowledge
of the resources and reserves of mineral raw materials
needed by the productive sector, contributing to making
better use of them, minimizing environmental impacts and the
incidence of geological processes on health.

The head of
the Permanent Commission for Implementation and Development,
Marino Murillo, explained how four non-agricultural
cooperatives were being created in the country.

He
referred to the 228 new cooperatives and said that 186 would
operate in the sectors of commerce, gastronomy and services,
12 in construction, three in transportation, 15 in industry,
one in food, as well as one in energy and six in accounting
services.

Raul Castro said the creation of
non-agricultural cooperatives was an experiment and although
progress has been made, scrutiny was needed.

The
consequences of errors committed in the investment process
and the results of the 8th National Follow-up on domestic
control were also analyzed.

Other issues discussed were
plans for ninth-grade graduates to continue their studies
and enrolment in higher education, daytime courses and
meetings during the 2014-2015 period.

As to plans to
improve medical services, Raul Castro assured media that the
Cuban people's healthcare would never be affected adversely,
and recalled how over the years of the Revolution thousands
of physicians have graduated, prompted by the philosophy of
its leader, Fidel Castro.

Cuba publishes
monetary unification
methodologiesCuban
authorities have revealed some of the new pricing and
accounting methodologies going into effect as the country
moves toward monetary unification.A new report refers to
last October’s Council of Ministers meeting which agreed
to initiate a schedule for carrying out measures to gain
that objective — the first regulations released in terms
of prices and accounting.Currently, two currencies
circulate in Cuba; the Cuban peso (CUP) and the convertible
Cuban peso (CUC).The published strategy corresponds to
Guideline 55 of the Cuban Communist Party's (CCP) Social and
Economic Policy.The announcement recognizes the
complexity of the process to achieve monetary integration
within the Cuban economy.The data were released in the
Official Gazette Extra (No. 12), of 2014, courtesy of
Resolutions 19, 20 and 21 from the Ministry of Finances and
Pricing.Accounting norms and methodologies are shown for
wholesale and retail pricing, targeting state entities, and
required by the decreed monetary unification. To this end
the report reflects a priority on training all managers
throughout the country involved in the process and points
out how the new pricing approach will assist in resolving
many problems in the island’s economy.One of the
problems identified was the connection between internal
pricing and the behaviour of the international market, among
other notes of interest, and lead to a more efficient
distribution of financial resources with the state
budget.

Cuba welcomes EU
proposal

Cuba has welcomed the European Union’s
proposal which would put the end to unilateral policies
against it, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has announced
at a press conference this week.Rodriguez said that Cuba
will accept the opening of negotiations on guidelines for a
political dialogue and cooperation agreement with Cuba
suggested by the EU.

He reiterated that Cuba will act
constructively, and believes that the unconditional,
reciprocal and non-discriminatory principles adopted in 2008
are fully applicable and must be a point of reference in
relationships.

Also, full respect for the sovereign
equality of states, the legal framework and institutional
arrangement of the parties and total adherence to the
principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of
states should be maintained, he added.

Rodriguez thanked
Baroness Catherine Ashton, the member states of the European
Union and the representatives of the European Commission for
the efforts that led to this proposal, to be submitted on
February 10.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, discussed Venezuela,
Ukraine, the EU and the topic of unconventional warfare
during a press conference this week at the Cuban Chancery in
Havana. For a full report
go…

Cuba's revolutionary
achievements recognized

Cuba's recent election as
a member of the Council on Human Rights is an example of the
prestige that the country has attained in this context,
Cuba’s deputy minister of foreign affairs Abelardo Moreno
told delegates at its 25th ordinary session.‘This
decision is a recognition for the work of the Revolution,
which guarantees respect for the full dignity of each
citizen, places the principle of social justice and
solidarity as a guide to its programmes, and shares its
progress and resources with others,’ he said.

The Cuban
deputy foreign minister expressed satisfaction for the
results of the council’s universal periodic review,
published last year, in which Cuba’s work for the
promotion and protection of human rights was
highlighted.

Such progress has been possible despite the
negative effects of the US economic and financial blockade
of Cuba, which was a massive, blatant, and systematic
violation of human rights.

Moreno recalled that while
inequality, the opulence of a few, and the marginalization
of many prevail in the world, the Cuban people continue
their struggle for a more just society.

Moreno said in his
speech that the summit of the Community of Latin American
and Caribbean States, held in January in Havana, had as its
central theme the struggle against poverty, hunger, and
inequality.

He recalled that the meeting had as a special
moment the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean
as a peace zone, where war and the threat and use of force
in the region was banished, and disputes should be resolved
peacefully and in accordance with international
law.

Cuban president
meets Fernando Gonzalez

President Raul Castro
has talked to one of the Cuban Five heroes, Fernando
Gonzalez, now in Cuba after serving a long and unfair
sentence in a US prison.The meeting at the Jose Marti
international airport was also attended by Gonzalez’
family as well as other officials of the Cuban
government.

Gonzalez has just been freed from the Safford,
Arizona federal correctional centre to go through the
process of deportation to Cuba.

He is the second of the
group known internationally of ‘The Five’ to serve their
imposed sentences, following the release of René
González.

Reminder: Fernando, René, Gerardo Hernández,
Antonio Guerrero and Ramón Labañino were arrested in 1998
for monitoring the actions of violent groups based on US
territory, which planned and executed terrorist actions
against Cuba.

The last three are still prisoners in the
United States, despite an extensive global campaign calling
for their release.

A freed Fernando
González, one of The Cuban Five, answers questions from
Cubans and talks about Angola, the defeat of apartheid, his
family during imprisonment ..and Cuban
literatureGo…

Former
prime minister of East Timor requests Cuban technical help

Ex-prime minister of East
Timor, Mari Alkatiri, has requested Cuba’s professional
and technical assistance in the construction of a special
development zone in his country.

On his visit to
Cuba the general secretary of the Revolutionary Front for
the Independence of East Timor (Fretilin) spoke with Cuban
representatives of various economic sectors about a project
being implemented in Oecusse, an enclave of the province of
Western Timorl, in Indonesia.

‘We want Cuba to
bring to bear its professionals and technicians in the
development of a zone that will contribute to the
improvement of the economic and social situation of the
people of East Timor,’ requested Alkatiri.

He added
that special measures will be implemented in Oecusse, aimed
to attract foreign capital for the construction of an
attractive urban area which would retain the personnel who
supplied services and high-tech enterprises, while
neighbouring areas would get improved community and rural
development.

Prioritized sectors for investment were
agribusiness, renewable energy, and the development of
infrastructure for telecommunications, health, education and
roads, among others, said
Alkatari.

Cuban doctors
contribute to East Timor national cancer
programme

Cuban doctors in East Timor are
drawing up a comprehensive strategy to fight cancer based on
the records on the disease they have collected plus the
contribution of human resources trained in Cuba. East
Timor’s health minister, Dr Sérgio Gama da Costa Lobo,
has met several Cuban oncology advisors, the coordinator of
the Cuban medical brigade, Rolando Montero and the
island’s ambassador to that country, Luis Julian
Laffite.The meeting focused on the work of the Cuban
oncologists in Timor to date and their setting up of an
oncology facility, which had been requested by the Timorese
during a visit to Cuba by their president. The Cuban
specialists explained to the minister what actions could be
put in place for cancer prevention and a treatment program
against what had so far been discovered in East
Timor.The minister thanked the Cuban advisors for their
visit and said that the fight on cancer would be a priority
for his country’s health ministry this year: he
underscored the value of Cuban assistance in drawing up a
national strategy to control the disease, which will include
primary health care for cancer sufferers in their own
homes.

Cuba
Starts Campaign against Polio

More than half a
million Cuban children will be getting doses of an oral
vaccine that protects against polio, reports the Ministry of
Public Health through the Granma newspaper. In the first six
days of the programme more than 380 000 under-threes will
receive the initial dose.During the second stage, at the
end of April 119 899 nine year old children will get a
second dose.

The ministry reveals that in the period
between 1962 and 2013 the country has facilitated more than
83 million doses of polio vaccine, which protects citizens
younger than 68.Previous studies discovered that polio
is a viral disease caused by infection with the poliovirus,
which can affect nerves and can lead to partial or total
paralysis.Granma in its coverage added that in 1962 Cuba
became the first Latin American country to be declared free
of the disease.

Cuba
hosts neurological restoration event

The 4th
International Conference on Neurological Restoration began
this week in Havana, with several pre-congress courses
underway.The event is part of the celebrations on
occasion of the 25th anniversary of the International Center
for Neurological Restoration (CIREN), director Doctor Emilio
Villa stated.

Several courses, such as that organized by
the Pan-American Section of the Movement Disorder Society,
entitled "Scientific and Clinic Aspects of Parkinson's
disease and Cerebellous Ataxias," are also on the list, said
Jorge Bergado, secretary of the organizing committee.

Also
included is the 6th international seminar on hereditary
ataxias, organized by the Centre for Research on Hereditary
Ataxias in Holguin, known world-wide for its research on the
condition, which had a high incidence in this eastern
province.

Experts from Spain, the United States, Mexico,
France, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany,
Austria, Canada, Denmark, and Turkey are expected to
participate in the
meeting.

.Cuba: CIREN, an
institution for life

The aim of developing and
refining more efficient variants in stereotactic or
minimally invasive surgery in patients with movement
disorders is one of the challenges faced by the
International Centre for Neurological Restoration
(CIREN).Emilio Villa, director of the institution, told
media that improving the treatments for back pain, one of
the most frequent symptoms requiring consultation, as well
as spine surgeries and epilepsy, is among the central
challenges, soon to arrive at the 25 years milestone of
intense research and clinical work.Among the priorities
are to work on improving the physical and cognitive
neuro-rehabilitation laboratory, the laboratory of
psychomotor assessment, and to assimilate, test and transfer
advanced technologies in the field of neuroscience to the
National Health System, for easier access, said Villa.

In
its first quarter century, CIREN treated more than 116 000
patients from 91 countries, most of them Cubans, with
intensive and personalized programmes which were unique in
the world, where research, clinical work, medical
diagnostics, treatment surgery and rehabilitation are
interrelated, he said.

CIREN vice-director of science and
technology Dr. Raul Macias, referred to the surgical
techniques used in the centre to treat abnormal movements,
such as those in advanced Parkinson's disease and other
dystonias.

It's important to remember that Parkinson's
disease is not completely curable, said Macias, but by
functional surgeries — like palidotomyand subthalamotomy
— symptoms can be relieved in most patients undergoing
this particular therapy, in which the improvement increases
quality of life.

The advantages of this technique include
its minimum access requirement, the use of local
anaesthesia,and the patient's waking state during operation
in order to execute more or less complex motor acts with the
limbs, and dialogue with surgeons.

In this way, the exact
limits of the area involved can be positioned, together with
the neurophysiological evidence for semi-micro-records of
brain electrical activity, he said.

The stereotactic
system used in 13 institutions of the country was refined in
CIREN, with participation of the Cuban Immunoassay Centre,
Macias explained.

The combination of a special software
which processes the images obtained by CT scan and from a
metal frame, with intelligent design, which is set at the
patient's head and allows the location of each point in
three dimensions, he said.

CIREN has had all its
achievements and scientific advances documented and
published in various journals and other international media,
he added.

The institution also investigates the applying
of autonomous stem cells for the treatment of a type of
stroke, which may show promise for the treatment of other
conditions.

The centre is also working on procedures for
refractory epilepsy and ataxia, and offers specialized
services targeting other degenerative diseases.

It also
treats occlusive cerebrovascular diseases such as strokes,
treatments of head injuries, and offers a pediatric
neurology service dedicated to recovery of children with
static lesions of the nervous
system.

Embassy
of the Republic of Cuba in New
Zealand76 Messines Rd, Karori,
Wellington 6012www.cubadiplomatica.cu/nuevazelanda/EN/Home.aspxText
edited by David Reade of International Public Relations
(ipr.bz) on behalf of the Cuban Embassy, Wellington, from
Cuban news agency
sources

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